One Night At The Moonlight Shadow
by Gunnery Sergeant
Summary: At the "Moonlight Shadow", a popular club, Abby overhears a conversation between Gibbs and an unknown man. They talk about a serial killer and vampires. Wait, vampires? Abby wants to know more and her discoveries will change her life forever. GABBY!
1. Chapter 1

**One Night at the Moonlight Shadow**

**By Gunnery Sergeant**

A/N: the title is homage to Mike Oldfield's 1983 hit because it was watching the video of this wonderful song on YouTube that I got the inspiration for this story.

For those familiar with my "Reconnection" universe, this story has many points in common with it, but the plot is completely different. When I wrote the various versions of "Reconnection", I toyed with the idea of writing a Gabby one too, but then I thought it would have been too much given that there were already three versions of that story.

However, I've always wished to write a Gabby tale with the same theme…so here you go!

As a final note, I've not seen nor read Anne Rice's books, Twilight saga, True Blood, Angel or any of the many vampire-themed books, movies, TV series out there, except for Bram Stoker's novel. So any similarity between my story and the published/released works cited above is purely coincidental.

This story is dedicated to **Finlaure**, a Gabby fan and my wonderful beta reader.

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The _Moonlight Shadow_ was one of D.C.'s most popular clubs, both among the Goth community and those who simply liked to dress up and wear costumes.

The club consisted of two main areas. The big hall was where the dancing platform was, and a smaller place in the back where the bar was located. There was no music there and patrons could talk without needing to shout while sitting at one of the many available booths.

The whole place had been decorated to look like the interior of a medieval castle. The walls looked like they were made of solid stone and there were torch-like lamps hanging from them. There were also real candles scattered in places where they wouldn't be dangerous, and the smell of burning wax was quite heavy if one stepped close to them.

This unusual means of illumination made sure the whole place was enveloped by half darkness and shadows, which gave the club a very suggestive atmosphere.

Abigail Scuito, simply Abby for most, visited the place quite often, because she and her friends enjoyed the place and the fact that, inside the _Moonlight Shadow_, it was always Halloween. Being masked was mandatory to access the club, but if someone arrived at the entry without being appropriately dressed, the bouncers handed out plastic vampire fangs that the newcomers had to wear if they wanted to go inside.

That evening the club wasn't as crowned as usual, but Abby was having a very good time, as many people had stopped her to compliment her for her costume. It was the same costume Director Vance had forbidden her to wear at Halloween, and the more she got complimented, the more Abby wished she could have seen what effect her attire would have had on Gibbs, Tony and Tim.

She was dressed as a French courtesan from Louis XIV age, with a white, elaborate dress full of frills and a generous cleavage, a silken with-golden mask covering her face and a dangerously high blond wig on her head. The only things not in theme were her comfortable black boots, because after spending a whole day standing up at work, she had thought her poor feet didn't deserved to be cloistered inside the high-heeled white shoes that went with the dress.

It was while she was taking a pause from her dancing that Abby saw a flash of silver with the corner of her eye.

During her days at work, a flash of silver usually meant Gibbs was in the same room with her and Abby had an instinctive reaction to it: turn her head to observe her Silver Haired Fox, fascinated as she was by everything he did.

The impulse to turn around was so ingrained that even knowing the flash of silver couldn't possibly be Gibbs, Abby couldn't resist it. She turned her head and her mouth fell open when she realized that the silver she had seen was indeed Gibbs' hair.

Gibbs inside the _Moonlight Shadow_! Abby couldn't believe it and she pinched her bare arm just to be sure she wasn't dreaming.

What was he doing there? And since he was dressed with his usual work clothes, was he wearing the plastic fangs as required from those patrons without a costume?

Unable to curb her curiosity, Abby left the dance floor and followed Gibbs out of the main hall and into the much quieter bar. She saw him walk straight toward a man who was standing by the counter. It was a guy in his thirties, with sandy hair, round, gold-rimmed glasses and an expression that reminded her of a young Ducky. This guy was wearing the plastic fangs, but they didn't look out of place on his face or with his very sedate look.

Abby watched as the two men shook hands and then walked toward an empty booth. Her jaw hit the floor for the second time in five minutes when she caught a glimpse of white against Gibbs' closed lips and she realized her no-nonsense boss was wearing the fangs too! Oh my gosh! She would have given her monthly paycheck to have her cell phone with her and be able to take a picture! But the damn thing had died on her during her car trip to the club.

Abby watched as Gibbs and his companion sat at a table and the younger guy opened his brief case and took out some folders. She strained her eyes from behind her mask and saw the words BALTIMORE PD printed on the covers of the folders.

Was the guy a cop? Was Gibbs investigating something outside the office? Knowing Gibbs' bad habit of going solo and not telling anyone, what he was up to? Abby decided she needed to know more; just to be sure he wouldn't end up in a dangerous situation.

So she ordered a Red Bull at the counter and calmly went to sit in the booth adjacent to the one where Gibbs and his companion were.

She slid on the bench all the way to the wall and put her ear close to the small empty space between the end of the wooden back of the booth and the wall itself. From this position, she could hear the two men well, even if they were talking softly.

"…and this was when it started?" Gibbs was saying.

"At least three months ago, Leroy," the other guy answered, making Abby's eyebrows almost disappear beneath the bangs of her wig.

Gibbs hated to be called Leroy and only his father used that name. So who was this guy to be allowed to call him so? She returned to listen, in the hope to solve the mystery.

"Ted Andrews is a ME in Fairfax and got suspicious when he discovered one of the bodies on his slab was completely bloodless. This man had been found in an alley with a slashed throat, but when Ted checked the photos taken by the police, he saw the quantity of blood on the scene wasn't consistent with the type of wound inflicted to the victim. Since the man had been homeless and the murder was ascribed as a fight ended badly, Ted wasn't requested to do an autopsy, but he still conducted some tests. He thus discovered the knife cut had been inflicted post-mortem, to mask a bite mark."

Abby's eyebrows climbed again, this time with interest. This sounded so hinky…

"Ted came to see you?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. He told me of his concerns, so I contacted Matt Downing, who works for the Baltimore PD, and told him to check if there had been similar cases in the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan area. You have no idea of how much I hoped Matt wouldn't find anything…"

"How many, Bill?" Gibbs cut him short.

"Eighteen."

"Eighteen?! And no one connected them?"

"No. Matt said all the victims were homeless, and all the murders were attributed to fights and robberies."

"This indicates that bastard is trying not to attract the attention of the police," Gibbs commented. "But how much longer it will work? A zealous cop or worse, a journalist can make everything come to the light in no time."

"I know, Leroy. That's why he – I refer to the killer as he because female hunters are very rare - must be stopped. Matt has managed to erase some of the case files he found, so it will give us a bit more time, but we must act soon."

Abby listened intently, wondering why Gibbs, this Bill guy and the others were so worried about the press discovering there was serial killer hitting on the homeless. Wouldn't it be best if the news was made public? This way the homeless would be more careful and would probably stay in groups, thus making the killer's task more difficult. And also, what was there in these murders that had made a cop commit a crime and delete case files?

"Any idea of who it could be?" Gibbs asked, recalling her attention to the conversation going on behind her.

"No, but I can vouch for all the local vampires, Leroy. It's not one of us."

Abby almost choked on her Red Bull at the word "vampires".

Had that guy really said it? Did he really believe vampires existed? Or had he meant something else with that word? And what did Gibbs think of it? Was he just indulging the fantasies of a very weird friend? Would he really do something like that?

Abby thought of how Gibbs had looked with the fangs on. Just like this Bill guy, he hadn't looked ridiculous as most of the other patrons did. His fangs, even if she had caught just a glimpse of them, had looked natural on him, as if he had been born with them on…

Abby shook her head. It wasn't possible! She was just letting her imagination run wild. Vampires didn't exist!

There must be another explanation as to Bill's words and if she just stopped having crazy ideas and behaved as the logical scientist she was, then she would discover it.

She returned to focus on the two men's conversation, just in time to hear Gibbs say, "I'll think of something, Bill."

"Thank you, Leroy. I knew you'd be able to help. Matt is a good guy, but he's little more than a clerk. He doesn't have the experience you have, both as a Marine and a federal agent, and I fear we'll need it- badly."

Gibbs didn't reply and silence fell on the booth near Abby's. She was about to stand up and go away, convinced they were about to leave, when Bill spoke again.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all the reviewers I could reply to privately. I really appreciated your words and I hope you'll like this chapter too. **

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_Abby was about to stand up and go away, convinced they were about to leave, when Bill spoke again._

"So, my friend, how are things going? We haven't talked in a long while," he asked.

"My life is fine. I've got my job, my woodwork and my bourbon," Gibbs answered.

"That's not what I meant—and you know it. Have you drunk at all since the last time we saw each other?"

Abby frowned. What was Gibbs supposed to have drunk? Somehow she felt Bill wasn't referring to wine or some other beverage.

"No."

Bill let out such a deep sigh even Abby heard it, before his voice took a very gentle, but firm tone, "Leroy, this can't go on for much longer. You must drink, if only a little. I saw how your nose flared when I mentioned drinking. I know the need to do it must be quite strong by now."

"I can control it."

"You won't be able to keep it in check indefinitely. It will keep on growing until the time when, unable to control it anymore, it will push you to commit something rash." Another sigh, and then Bill's voice became even kinder and persuasive. "Why don't you go in the other room and charm some pretty thing? All the people attending this place somehow fantasize about being bitten by a vampire. Go there, cast your spell on some woman, take your fill and then make her forget. You'll fulfill her fantasy even as you get what you need."

"I can't do it. You know how I am," Gibbs answered and the anguish in his voice tugged at Abby's heart, "I don't like to drink from strangers I first have to put in trance and then wipe of their memories."

"I know, my friend, and I can tell you I too prefer the other way, but I'm aware I must be adaptable. Is there anyone you would like as willing donor?"

In the silence that followed, Abby mulled over what she had heard, but no matter from what angle she examined the conversation, it only made sense if she accepted both Gibbs and Bill were vampires.

The scientist inside her rebelled at the idea, but her logical mind kept on saying there was no other explanation. Unless, of course, Gibbs and Bill knew she was spying them and were having fun at her expense, which she didn't think was the case.

When Gibbs spoke again, it was so low Abby had to strain her ears to hear him.

"There's a young woman I work with…I'd like to have her as my donor."

"Are you in love with her?"

"Yeah…I love her."

Abby's eyes widened. Gibbs was in love with a woman he worked with?!

"Then why don't you go for her?"

"Have you listened to what I said?" Gibbs replied, with a familiar hint of irritation coloring his tone. "She's quite younger than me—and we work together. She's off-limits."

"Why?" Bill let out another deep sigh. "Leroy, you seem to forget the gifts Nature gave us. You can make your feelings known, and if she doesn't return them and you're concerned things will turn awkward between you, then you can make her forget everything."

"But I would remember her rejection!" Gibbs almost growled. "In the same way I remembered how my wives freaked out when I revealed myself to them! I had to make them forget and our marriages started going downhill from there, 'cause I could no longer look at them in the same way knowing they didn't love me or trust me enough to accept me as I am."

Silence fell again over the two men, and Gibbs' words weighted heavily on Abby's heart.

He was in love with a younger woman he worked with.

Who was she?

Ziva?

Abby knew there was a very strong bond between the Israeli and Gibbs, a certain affinity, perhaps due to common, life-shaping experiences.

And what if Gibbs was referring to Abby herself?

She gulped hard. What a wild, beautiful and tantalizing idea! She had been in love with Gibbs for years, but she had always relegated her feelings into a corner because she knew the older man would never look at her as a possible love interest.

They were too different…She was too different; from him and the women she had seen him date along the years. After learning about his late daughter, Abby had come to the conclusion Gibbs was bestowing his fatherly love on her, which had both moved and saddened her.

Was it possible she had been mistaken and that his feelings for her were of a completely different kind?

Abby was so lost in her thoughts she barely registered when Gibbs and Bill walked past her booth on their way out of the bar.

She didn't rise to follow them, but remained there she was, with a half-finished Red Bull in front of her and a hundred questions crowding into her mind.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all the reviewers I could reply to privately. I really appreciated your words and I hope you'll like this chapter too. **

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The next morning, Abby arrived at NCIS at 0600 sharp, after catching only a couple of hours of sleep.

She had spent most of the night mulling over the conversation she had overheard at the _Moonlight Shadow._

Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, it wasn't the possibility that Gibbs could be a vampire – thus postulating vampires existed for real – that kept her awake.

Abby knew Gibbs. She knew what kind of man he was and not even such a potentially shocking truth could change the way she saw him. She had always been very open-minded for a scientist, with a keen interest for UFO, esoteric practices and mysteries and the firm conviction there were still many things mankind didn't know. Heck, her master's degree dissertation had been about SHC, Spontaneous Human Combustion, which wasn't exactly a common topic.

She wasn't even shocked to know there was a vampire serial killer going around murdering homeless people. She had read about enough human serial killers and their families to be aware a bad apple didn't make a whole apple tree bad.

No, Abby had spent most of the night awake wondering who Gibbs was in love with. Who was this young woman he worked with? But was it her or Ziva? Or there was someone else in the office she didn't know of?

Nah, her net of informants would have told her if Gibbs had been spending significant amount of time with some young female agent.

So it left only her or Ziva. Abby desperately wished it was her, but there was no way to know it, not with a guy like Gibbs, who could be as unreadable as a blank screen.

He was protective of Abby—but of Ziva too. He had returned from his retirement in Mexico to help the Israeli was she had been framed. More recently, after her rescue in Somalia, Gibbs had offered Ziva a place to live at his house until she found a new apartment.

Abby stared at her keyboard. She had to stop thinking about it—or better yet, she had to stop thinking about it and start doing something about it.

She already had a plan…something she wasn't exactly proud of, and that could cause a lot of trouble if she was caught, but she had to do it. She had to for the peace of her mind and of her heart.

Abby opened a drawer of her desk and took out a cell phone. It was Gibbs'. He had given it to her the previous day because it wasn't working properly, telling her to "reboot" it. As usual, she and McGee had simply given Gibbs a new phone, identical to the other, sure as they had been the old one was beyond repair. But it hadn't been so. Abby had repaired the phone while waiting for AFIS to cough out the owner of the prints left on a knife and then put it in her drawer, and it was ready to be used the next time Gibbs would ask her to reboot his cell.

Abby stared at the phone for a few seconds, chewing on her bottom lip, and then nodded to herself. It had to be done. She opened the phone and inserted in it a tiny bug she had found in a suspect's phone months before. It hadn't been considered evidence, so she had kept it for her personal use. One could never predict when a spying device could turn useful!

Sneaking glances right and left, Abby reassembled the phone and looked at it approvingly. It would now allow her to listen to all the calls Gibbs would make or receive.

Abby wasn't proud of what she was going to do, but she was desperate, and desperation called for rather extreme measures.

Putting the cell phone into her work garb pocket Abby prayed it wouldn't be too long before Gibbs came to her complaining about his phone…

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Fortune was on Abby's side.

Three days later Gibbs' team went out to arrest a Chief Petty Officer at Norfolk. The guy freaked out when he saw them, got into a car and tried to escape. Alas he didn't know that car had badly worn brakes that broke when he tried to use them during a turn.

As a result, he lost control of the car and ended up jumping into the sea. Gibbs and Tony had to dive into the water to save the guy and by doing so they sentenced to death both their cell phones.

Abby's conscience had sternly reprimanded her when she had handed Gibbs the bugged phone, and she had silenced it by promising she would remove the bug if she didn't get any useful information within a week.

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Will Gibbs discover what Abby has done? What will Abby learn listening to his phone conversations?

Let me know your thoughts! And remember that reviews make me update faster!


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to all the reviewers. I'm sorry I couldn't reply privately, but Friday an idiot messed with the hardware cabinet in my condo, and since then internet connection and phones have not worked properly. We expect the techs this morning, so hopefully everything will be OK soon...*fingers crossed***

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Later that evening, at home, Abby whispered, "Forgive me, Gibbs," and switched on the recording device so she could listen to the phone calls Gibbs had made or received during the day.

There was nothing interesting, just work related calls she only half-listened to. She was about to switch off the device when a beep alerted her Gibbs had an incoming call.

Abby frowned. It was already 2230, who was calling so late? She just hoped it wasn't work related; she wasn't thrilled by the idea of spending the night in her lab.

On the other hand, a personal call so late into the night might bring some bad news. Was Jackson Gibbs feeling unwell? Or perhaps it was Ziva, asking Gibbs if she could come to spend the night with him…

Abby almost head-slapped herself for her overactive imagination and resolutely suffocated her jealousy as Gibbs finally answered the call.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"_It's me, Leroy."_

Only two people called Gibbs Leroy, and this guy wasn't Jackson Gibbs. Which left only…

"_Bill."_

Bill, yes, the vampire.

"_There has been another, Leroy. And this time it's going to cause some stir. The victim wasn't homeless, but a drunken guy who had crashed in a public park in Baltimore after fighting with his wife."_

"_Hell,"_ Gibbs muttered.

"_We need to act fast. Have you some idea about what we can do? We can't go chasing for him, there are too many places where homeless can be found, and we aren't enough."_ Abby could hear the note of desperation in Bill's voice.

"_I know. We can't chase him, but we can try and lure him to us."_

"_How?"_

"_Tell our people to be on the lookout for any foreigner in the Washington-Baltimore area. Tell them that if they see any vampire they don't recognize, they must approach him and inform him leader of this area isn't pleased-" _

"_Damn right, I'm not pleased at all!"_ Bill interjected.

"_-he's hunting in his territory, and that he wants to meet the stranger. Have them tell him that a security camera in Baltimore recorded him and that the leader knows his face. And since he is a police officer, he's going to put out a BOLO on him, and send his photos to both newspapers and TV news. It's a bluff, of course, but it should be enough to make the stranger come out and ask for a meeting. Allow him to choose when and where, it will make him feel confident and in control, and we don't need much time to get ready, no matter when or where he sets the meeting. And once he comes…we'll settle this matter properly,"_ Gibbs completed calmly.

_"Sounds like a good plan,"_ Bill commented. _"Who will act as bait?"_

"_Me."_

Abby smiled weakly at the 'whom else?' implied by Gibbs' tone. She knew he would never conceive a risky plan without being the one with the most dangerous part in it.

"_That's fine, but you won't go alone. I will be there with you, and I think Ted and Matt will want to be there too."_

"Okay. Good night-"

"A moment more, Leroy! I need to tell you something else."

"What?"

"_We don't know what we'll have to face or how hard the fight is going to be, but I know you well enough you'll be in the middle of the danger. So I would really feel much better if you would drink before we meet the killer."_

"_I don't need it, I'm in good shape_," Gibbs protested.

"_You're in great shape for a human in his fifties...but you aren't human, and neither is the killer we will face. You must be in good shape for a vampire and in order to be so you must drink blood."_

Abby swallowed hard as she heard the confirmation that vampires did indeed exist, although, given what she knew of Gibbs, she had the suspicion they were quite different from how the legends portrayed them. But how much different?

During the previous two days, Abby had relegated the idea vampires might exist and that Gibbs could be one of them into the back of her mind. She had focused instead on discovering who the woman Gibbs had fallen in love with was.

Perhaps she had unconsciously convinced herself she had just imagined Gibbs and his friend talk about vampires. Perhaps she hadn't been as open-minded as she thought...but now it was impossible to keep on ignoring the matter.

Vampires did exist indeed and Gibbs was one of them. Unless of course he and Bill weren't both suffering from a delusional fantasy, which she didn't believe was the case.

Vampires existed and were apparently organized in a community, over which Bill – whoever he was – seemed to have a lot of authority. An authority even Gibbs respected...Was Bill the vampire who had turned Gibbs? And if it was so, when did it happen? Before or after Abby had come to work at NCIS and met him?

That of course, if vampires did indeed turn humans...which wasn't so certain, given how different Gibbs was from the fantasy vampires she had read about.

He went to church and wasn't bothered by the cross or the holy water.

He ate normal food as all of them, heck he seemed to have an ironclad stomach given what Abby had seen him eat!

He went outdoors during the day, even during the summer, without any damage to his skin. In fact he had returned from Somalia with a nice tan and not even one of the burns Tony and Tim had sported.

All of this confirmed her idea real vampires were quite different from the fantasy ones, but how much different?

Abby desperately wanted to know more. This was the coolest thing to ever happen to her since the day she had tasted 'Caf-Pow!' for the first time. She knew herself well enough to be aware she couldn't let this matter drop. She was like Gibbs: once she found a clue, she kept on investigating until she solved the mystery. However she was also prudent and she loved Gibbs.

She couldn't go around spying on him – that is, more she was already doing- and ask people about him and his behavior. That would only cause the others to wonder about her motives.

So the only thing she could do was to talk directly with Gibbs...

_Yes,_ Abby thought, _when this situation with the serial killer is behind us, and he'll be more relaxed, I'll go to visit him and tell him everything I have done from the moment I spotted him at the Moonlight Shadow. Then I'll apologize, no matter what he thinks of apologies, and since I'll be at it, I'll confess him my feelings too_.

Satisfied with the decision she had made, Abby returned to the present and frowned when she heard a buzzing noise she couldn't explain. It took her a moment to realize it came from her listening device. The conversation between Gibbs and Bill had ended – and Abby had lost Gibbs' response to his friend's advice about drinking blood—but the machine was still on, transmitting some kind of noisy signal.

Abby switched it off, then stood up and walked toward her bedroom, mentally replaying what she would tell to Gibbs when she finally gathered the courage to face him, with the hope he would not only forgive her, but also tell her he loved her too.

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Will Abby carry on with her plan? Will she talk with Gibbs? Let me know your thoughts! And remember that reviews make me update faster!


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to all the reviewers I could reply to privately. I really appreciated your words and I hope you'll like this chapter too. **

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Abby almost didn't see Gibbs during the following three days.

The Major Case Response Team wasn't called out and while and the others busied themselves reviewing cold cases, Gibbs spent most of the time holed out in Vance's office or in the accounting department, working at the yearly budget report.

In any other occasion, Abby would be upset because of Gibbs' lengthy absence from her lab and lack of 'Caf-Pow!' delivery. This time instead, even if she missed him, she was quite relieved to be away from him. He had the uncanny ability to sense when she was hiding something and she didn't want to set off his alarm bells—at least not yet.

Since there wasn't much to do, Abby made an inventory of the material stocked in her lab, and then she occupied the rest of her time running an internet search about vampires. She wanted to see if somewhere, hidden among sites dedicated to Anne Rice's novels, the Twilight saga, True Blood 's sexy characters and all the screen vampires that were so popular at the moment, there was something outside the chorus. There had to be some site where the vampires were a bit more like Gibbs and a lot less like Dracula.

She almost jumped when she found a site dedicated to people who affirmed they had been bitten by vampires, but the more she read, the more she was convinced none of those persons had ever been bitten by a real vampire.

From what she had deduced by the conversation she had overheard, vampires made their victims – no, not victims, occasional donors as Gibbs and Bill had called them – forget their experience. So how could someone narrate theirs? Unless, of course, this method the vampires had to make people forget sucked, something Abby greatly doubted.

Legend about blood-sucking creatures had existed long before Bram Stoker wrote "Dracula". Some scholars had suggested these tales were probably based on people suffering from porphyry. However, armed with her newly acquired knowledge, Abby thought it was possible some of those legends had been based on real vampires too, meaning that now and then some detail about them had leaked. Not enough to demonstrate once for all vampires were real, but enough to start the myth.

As she read through very imaginative and sometime downright pornographic descriptions of how these people had been lured and then bitten by vampires, Abby wondered if Gibbs had been carrying out Bill's advice to "drink". Her Silver Haired Fox wasn't keen to take orders, but he seemed to respect the other man quite a lot, so maybe he had done what he had been told to do. Abby hoped so, because she wanted him to be in perfect shape for when he would have to face the serial killer.

Abby didn't think more of the matter until that late afternoon, when her listening device beeped alerting her Gibbs was receiving a call.

"_Yeah, Gibbs."_

"_I've news, Leroy." _

Abby almost fell of her chair as she recognized Bill's voice.

"_Really?"_

"_Yes. Mandy Turner saw an unknown vampire this morning in Manassas. She approached him and after some conversation told the stranger what I instructed her to say. Mandy said the man made some sarcastic comments at our threat to signal him to the police, and walked away. Mandy continued her errands, and after some time the stranger approached her again and told her that he would meet her leader this evening at 2100, at the Manassas Historical Cemetery. Then he disappeared before Mandy could even think to follow him."_

_"He couldn't resist the challenge,"_ Gibbs commented.

_"Indeed. Mandy says this guy is very tall and muscled, probably used to fight as a vampire. Are you up for it, Leroy?"_ Bill asked with intent.

There was a slight hesitation before Gibbs answered, _"Yeah, Bill, I am."_

"_Good! It was about time you drank. It wasn't too bad, was it?"_

"_No, it wasn't."_

"_I've already contacted Ted and Matt and we plan to travel there all together in Matt's truck. Do you want a lift?"_

"_Yeh, thanks."_

"_Okay. See you later, Leroy."_

The phone call ended, and Abby switched the listening device off, as her mind worked frantically.

She had heard the slight hesitation before Gibbs had answered Bill's question. She had heard it and she knew what it meant.

Gibbs was lying.

He hadn't drunk.

That meant he was going to face a very dangerous enemy, a killer who had murdered at least nineteen people, without being 100% fit.

Suddenly very worried, Abby got rid of her lab garb, shut down her babies, grabbed her purse and rushed to the elevator.

She needed to stop Gibbs. She needed to tell him she knew what he was and then offer herself to him to drink from. She couldn't let him face the killer unprepared.

As soon as the elevator doors opened on the bullpen floor, Abby's heart twisted. Gibbs' desk was empty as Tim, Tony and Ziva were tidying theirs, obviously getting reading to leave.

"Where is Gibbs?" she asked, stepping between the desks.

"He's already gone home," Tim answered. "Vance gave us the week end off, and Boss decided to start it early, since there's nothing to do."

Abby grimaced and McGee added, concerned, "Did you need something from him? Do you want me to call him?"

She made an effort to control herself. She couldn't cause the others to worry about Gibbs and thus risk betraying his secret.

"Nope, I just wanted to complain about the three most boring days of my life, with no cases and no 'Caf-Pow!' delivery, but I guess it will have to wait till Monday." She smiled. "Okay guys, I gonna leave too. Sister Rosita and the bowling team are waiting." She waved with her hand in salute and walked calmly toward the elevator, not wanting to raise any suspicion.

Once alone, she took her cell phone and speed-dialed Gibbs' number, but an annoying voice informed her he wasn't currently reachable.

"Damn, Gibbs!" Abby muttered, "what about rule number three?"

Down in the garage, she walked toward her car and once inside, she took a deep, calming breath.

What could she do? She could go to Gibbs' house to see if he was still there and stop him, but it would be a loss of precious time if Bill had already stopped to pick him up.

So Abby decided to drive directly to the Manassas Historical Cemetery, hoping to arrive there before the killer did.

Abby switched on her sat-nav and punched in the name of her destination, sighing with relief when she saw it was listed. Then she switched on the engine and drove her car out of the Navy Yard and into the Washington traffic.

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Ah-ah! Little cliffhanger!

Let me know what you think! And remember that reviews make me update faster!

Oh, BTW, the Manassas Historical Cemetery doesn't exist, I invented it basing on descriptions/photos of other American historical cemeteries.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to all the reviewers I could reply to privately. I really appreciated your words and I hope you'll like this chapter too. **

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The ride to Manassas took far longer than Abby had hoped. There had been a car crash that had almost blocked the traffic until the police had arrived to put some order among the drivers.

By the time Abby arrived at the Manassas Historical Cemetery, darkness had already fallen and the full moon was high in the sky. As a matter of fact, the moonlight was so bright that it more than compensated for the lack of street lamps in the area.

The cemetery was surrounded by a broken down, low rusty fence, so it was quite easy to find a way in. As she walked, turning her head left and right as she looked for Gibbs, Abby thought it was a place she wouldn't mind visiting again, because it was really pretty—for a cemetery, that is. The tombs were scattered here and there, not lined one near the other as in more modern cemeteries, and some of the gravestones were very artistic. Silence reigned, broken only by the cry of some night bird, and the silvery-bluish light cast by the moon bathed the place in an almost magical atmosphere. For a moment Abby felt transported in time, back to the early nineteenth century, long before the Civil War, when the first tombs had been dug. How would it have been to live at that age? Would have she liked to live back then? She remembered how hard had been to cope without electric power a few weeks before and shook her head. No, she didn't think she would have liked to live in an old American town.

Abby was about to circle a large grave stone when two arms shoot out from behind a nearby tree and seized her. Taken by surprise, she let out a cry and a calloused hand quickly covered her mouth.

A calloused hand. A familiar hand—as familiar as the musky sawdust scent surrounding her.

Gibbs.

Abby relaxed and the arms loosened their hold on her. Gibbs made her spin around and exclaimed. "Abbs! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," she answered smartly, as she took in his completely dark attire, "but I won't, 'cause I know what you are doing here."

"And that would be?"

"You're waiting for a serial killer," she took a deep breath, "a vampire serial killer."

Gibbs' face showed no reaction to her words, but she saw the shock flash in his blue eyes.

"Vampires don't exist, Abby," he said in a chiding tone.

"Oh really? So I guess the fangs you and your friend Bill were sporting at the _Moonlight Shadow _last Friday evening were fake?"

This time Gibbs couldn't contain his reaction. "You saw us?"

"Yep. I saw you...and I heard you talk about the serial killer that murders homeless people. One of you used the word vampire, and well, I thought you wouldn't use it lightly..."

Gibbs looked stormy now, but Abby had the feeling he was angry with himself and Bill for mentioning vampires, not with her.

Then his eyes narrowed. "How did you know where to find me? This place wasn't discussed Friday evening..."

Abby swallowed hard and looked down at her boots, unable to answer.

"Abbs?" Gibbs growled, posing his hands over her shoulders.

"I bugged your phone," she mumbled, still looking down.

"What?!"

"The new phone I gave you after you took a dive at Norfolk...it's bugged. I listened to your phone calls," Abby explained, finally rising her head and facing him.

Gibbs stared at her, clearly confused. "Why?"

"Because of something you said at the _Moonlight Shadow_..." her voice trailed off but a look from Gibbs made her continue. "You said you're in love with a younger woman you work with and I wanted to know who she is." There, she had said it. Now she could only hope she hadn't just ruined their friendship for good.

Gibbs stared at her for a long time, his expression unreadable, and Abby sustained his gaze as she waited for the verdict.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word, his head whipped to the right. Abby followed his gaze, but she saw nothing. Then she heard a strange noise; it sounded like a bird cry, but was different. It took her a moment to realize it was some kind of signal Bill was using to communicate with Gibbs.

He turned towards her and there was an urgent look on his face. "This isn't the time to discuss it, Abby. You must leave now. Return to your car and go home; we'll talk later."

"It's the serial killer, isn't it?" She asked. "Has he arrived?"

"Yes, he is coming in from there," Gibbs pointed to the right, toward a group of low trees.

"You plan to fight him?"

"Yes."

"You can't, Gibbs! You aren't up to it. Bill ordered you to drink, but I know you didn't!" Abby grabbed his black jacket and he had to gently pry her fingers open.

"Abby, I won't face him alone. If you listened to our conversations, you know Bill and I aren't alone. Also, I'm in very good shape. I'll be safe."

"Promise?"

"Yes. Now go home, I'll come to visit you as soon as I'm done here."

Abby nodded slowly, and then with a last look at Gibbs, she turned around and walked back to her car. She had almost reached the fence when a dark figure stepped out from behind a tall gravestone and blocked her path.

It was a man—no, giant was a more accurate description. He was at least 7 feet tall, broad shouldered and muscled. But what really scared her were his teeth. His fangs.

This guy was a vampire and Abby realized in a flash he wasn't one of Gibbs' friends. This one was with the killer or perhaps _he_ was the killer.

"GIBBS!" Abby shouted, turning on her heels and running back toward the clearing. "Gibbs!"

The guy let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a roar and began to pursue her.

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Uh-uh! Big cliffhanger! *ducks to avoid flying objects* What will happen next? Let me know what you think! And remember that reviews make me update faster!


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to dolphinsiren77 (how were your dreams?) and Sophies_Welt for their reviews!

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"Gibbs!" Abby cried again, throwing a look over her shoulder. The vampire was gaining ground and soon he would catch up with her.

And then Gibbs was there, stepping between her and her pursuer. The other vampire stopped and looked at Gibbs from head to foot.

"Stay away!" Gibbs ordered, as an animal-like growl rose from his throat. It was a sound she had never heard coming from a man and it pressed home that she really was dealing with beings that weren't human.

"Are you going to fight me for her, old man?" the tall guy said, his voice mocking. "Step away, let me have her, and I'll leave a few drops for you."

Abby saw Gibbs' muscles tense, he was coiling like a spring, preparing himself for an attack. She was ready to bet his fangs were down too, but that wasn't the moment to snatch a look at him.

The other vampire laughed at the defensive stance assumed by Gibbs. "All right, that means I'll have your blood. It's been a lot of time since I last tasted a vampire."

The giant leapt in the air with agility unexpected in such a big man and attacked Gibbs.

Abby screamed when the two vampires began the hand-to-hand fight. Gibbs was a tall man but he looked almost small compared to his opponent, whom used his superior body weight as an added weapon.

A roar-like sound coming from behind her back startled Abby and, turning around, she saw that there was another fight going on in the clearing. Bill and two other men were fighting against another who looked identical to Gibbs' opponent.

_They're twins,_ she mused, before returning to concentrate on Gibbs. She desperately wanted to help him, but there was nothing around she could use as a weapon and any case the two vampires were moving too quickly.

Gibbs locked his foot behind the giant's ankle and managed to make him lose his balance, but the guy reacted by dragging the older vampire down with him.

Abby watched as they rolled on the grass, each of them both alternately trying to bite the other's throat as they protected their own exposed necks.

And then, suddenly Gibbs' arms, which he was using to push away his opponent, gave up, and the taller vampire went for his unprotected neck.

"NO!" Abby cried. Bending down she picked a piece of crumbled gravestone and smashed it as hard as she could against the giant's head.

It wasn't enough to knock him out, but it made him let go of Gibbs' neck. Abby cringed when the vampire turned to look at her, his lower face and chin smeared with blood. Gibbs' blood.

Abby backed away, as the vampire rose to his feet and approached her.

"Help!" she cried, hoping that Bill or one of the other good guys would hear her.

"No one is going to help you, little human," the vampire said, sarcastic. "They're too busy with my brother." He reached out with his arm and seized her, "Are you ready to taste my fan-"

He never completed the line as a flash of silver moved quickly across his neck. The vampire's eyes widened in stunned surprise as blood started pouring from his slashed throat. He fell on his knees, thus revealing Gibbs was standing behind him, his left hand pressed against his neck while the right one held a long serrated knife.

Gibbs raised a booted foot and pushed against the vampire's back; making him fall down, face first into the grass.

As Abby looked on, speechless, Gibbs knelt down and quickly slit the other vampire's wrists and thighs.

"There is only...one way...to kill vampires," he said his voice very raspy, "They must...bleed out...before...they can...heal...the...wounds..."

Abby nodded, her eyes fixed on Gibbs' sweat covered, pale face. His fangs were exposed and they gave him an incredibly intense look. Her thoughts were interrupted when Gibbs collapsed, falling down near the other vampire.

Abby rushed at his side, and turned him over. His eyes were closed; blood spouted from the gash at his neck, and his breathing was getting more labored by the moment.

_  
"There is only one way to kill vampires, they must bleed out before they can heal the wounds..."_

The line uttered by Gibbs only a few moments before flashed into her mind, filling her with horror as she realized what was happening.

Gibbs was dying, bleeding out.

Abby pressed her hands against the wound to slow the flood of blood and shouted, "Someone help me! Bill! Leroy needs help!"

She returned to focus on Gibbs, trying to ignore the sickening sensation of his blood, warm and viscous coating her hands.

His eyes opened and he looked up at her.

"You OK?" he croaked.

Abby nodded.

"Good...this is...a...good...way...to...go...saving...the...one...I...love..." he smiled weakly.

"You aren't going anywhere, Gibbs! You hear me!?" Abby cried, as tears rose to her eyes. "You can't leave me, not after I just found you...Stay with me..."

"Can't..." Gibbs whispered, so lowly she barely heard him. "So tired...so cold..."

Abby's tears fell on his face as she saw the light fade from his eyes with each gush of blood pouring from his wound.

"Love ya...Abbs..." Gibbs whispered, and closed his eyes.

"NO!!" Abby searched frantically for his pulse, her desperation rising as her trembling fingers failed to locate it.

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Oh-Oh! Even bigger cliffhanger! *rushes to take cover, because ducking won't be enough this time * What will happen next? Let me know what you think! And remember that reviews make me update faster!


	8. Chapter 8

My heartfelt "thank you" to all my readers. I apologize for the lack of private replies, but I've limited PC time today due to the arrival of relatives for Easter, and i thought you would prefer if I used it to post the story rather than to reply to reviews.

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Suddenly someone knelt by Abby's side as a voice commanded, "Move away, Miss, I need to work on him."

It was Bill and she lost no time in scrambling away.

"He's still alive," Bill said to the two other men who had joined them, "but we must act quickly."

The two other vampires nodded, and both of them bit down on their wrists, breaking the skin with their sharp fangs. Blood poured from their wounds and, as Abby looked on, they made it drip into Gibbs' mouth, which Bill was keeping open with his hands.

Abby watched, her eyes darting from Gibbs' still face to Bill's concerned one and back to Gibbs', as Ted and Matt kept on dripping blood into the wounded vampire's mouth.

After what seemed an eternity to her but in reality was just a few minutes, Bill put two fingers against Gibbs' neck. "The pulse is stronger," he said aloud.

Abby swallowed hard before asking, "Is he going to be all right?"

Bill nodded, "Yes. He'll be fine. We were just in time." He removed his hand, letting Gibbs' mouth close, and Abby saw that wound at his neck had stopped bleeding and looked slightly smaller.

"Matt, Ted, can you guys disposes of the two scumbags without my help? I want to take Leroy home as soon as possible."

"No problem, Bill. We'll make sure they will never be found," one of the two men answered as the other nodded.

"All right." Bill rose to his knees, balanced his weight and then, without any apparent effort, picked up Gibbs' unconscious body in his arms and stood up. "Do you have a car, Miss...?" he asked as he started walking, closely followed by Abby.

"Abigail Scuito, but please, call me Abby. And yes, I've a car."

"Good. We'll need it, since Leroy and I rode here with Matt and Ted."

"Who drove?" She asked, as they walked toward the fence.

"Leroy."

"Figures," Abby smiled, relieved she could now relax and joke about Gibbs' desire to be always the one in charge, even behind the steering wheel.

Once arrived to her car, she unlocked it and kept the door open as Bill set Gibbs on the back seat. Then he straightened and seeing her concerned expression, he said kindly, "He's fine, but his body needs time to recover. I expect it will be some hours before he wakes up."

Abby nodded, smiling slightly, and opened the door on the driver side. She and Bill both climbed in and they were soon on their way to Gibbs' house in Alexandria.

They drove in silence until they reached the highway, then Bill asked, "So Abby, may I know who are you?"

She nodded. It was a fair question. "I'm the forensic and ballistic expert at NCIS. I work with Gibbs."

"May I also know what were you doing at the cemetery?"

"I was worried about Gibbs."

Bill frowned. "Worried? Why?"

"'Cause I was aware he was going to face a serial killer and I knew he hadn't drunk as you told him to do."

At this, Bill twisted on his seat to face her fully. "You seem to know a lot of things, Abby, and you weren't as shocked as you should have been by what you just saw. Did Leroy tell you about our kin?"

"No...Not in the way you think." Abby answered, throwing him a brief glance. Then she returned to focus on the road as she told Bill everything she had done from the moment she had seen Gibbs at the _Moonlight Shadow_.

Bill listened to her tale in silence and when she stopped talking, he muttered something under his breath.

"Are you angry?" Abby asked, fully expecting a positive answer.

"Yes, but not with you. I'm angry with myself and Leroy. We were careless. We should have been more cautious during that conversation. We're lucky it was you, a friend who overhead us, not someone else."

"I think you're overacting. I took that conversation seriously only because I know no bouncer would ever make Leroy Jethro Gibbs wear a pair of plastic fangs! So when I saw his fangs and then you talked about vampires I began to think what I was hearing wasn't a joke...Had I heard the same conversation between you and another unknown guy, I would haven't minded it."

"I see." Bill smiled briefly, relaxing. "Well, Abby, you're very resourceful. No wonder Leroy is so taken with you."

Abby should have been pleased by his words, but she only managed to grimace. "I'm not resourceful. I'm stupid. I almost had Gibbs killed because I followed him and he had to come at my rescue."

Bill shook his head. "Don't speak like that. You acted on your concern for him and, as far as putting Leroy in danger, I did it too. I should have realized by the victim's numbers there were at least two killers. We should have gone to the meeting carrying more people with us."

"Well, Gibbs is a top-notch investigator and he too didn't suspect the killer might have not been alone," Abby tried to soothe the vampire, hearing the self-reproach in his voice.

"That's true, but he doesn't have as much experience with vampires as I do."

Abby looked at the thirty-something year old looking man sitting by her side and tried to hide her skepticism.

Bill saw it all the same and laughed softly. "Don't let my looks fool you. I'm 410 years old."

Abby's eyes widened and she had to force herself not to turn her head and stare at her companion. "No joke?"

"No joke. I'm one of the first vampires ever born in America and I've been one of the East Coast deans for the past 120 years."

"You must really like your job!" Abby joked, before sobering again. "May I ask you a question?"

"Sure. I was expecting you to do it. There must be many things you wish to know of my kin, although you seem to have adapted well to the discovery vampires exist for real."

"Well, yes...but I've always been quite open-minded, and knowing Gibbs is one of you played a big role in the fact I didn't freak out. I mean, he is one of the finest men I ever met, and a very good advertising for your kin—at least for me."

Bill smiled and nodded. "So, your question is?"

"Oh, yes, my question. You just said you are one of the first vampires born in America. I was wondering why you said 'born'? I mean, aren't humans turned into vampires by another vampire?"

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Liked it? Let me know what you think! And remember that reviews make me update faster (even with nosy relatives around the house)!


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks to KatieAnn for the review!

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"_Oh, yes, my question. You just said you are one of the first vampires born in America. I was wondering why you said 'born'? I mean, aren't humans turned into vampires by another vampire?"_

Bill shook his head, amused. "I've wondered many a time from where Bram Stoker came out with such a crazy idea. Abby, vampires cannot 'turn' humans. We're not un-dead creatures, but living, breathing people, a branch of the _Homo sapiens_ that somehow evolved differently from the main strain. We eat as humans do and human blood is no longer something we need to survive, but something that allows us to live at our very best form. Drinking little sips of human blood helps us to stay young or rejuvenate. It helps us to heal from injuries that are otherwise incurable. And while it's true we're predators in the core of our being, we don't kill or harm our donors. However, sometimes, just as it happens with the humans, serial killers are born, and when it happens, we try to eliminate them as soon as possible, because they are a danger, for both humans and vampires."

"Well, yes, I understand that if a vampire drains a human dry, said human dies, but I thought that before it happened, the vampires could give some blood to the humans and turn them."

"Just fantasies. Vampire blood can heal wounds and illnesses if drunk by humans – just like it happened to Leroy -- and it can also lengthen their life-span, but nothing more. Vampires are born, just like humans."

"So you mean Gibbs' parents are vampires? I mean, Jack is one too?"

"No, Jackson isn't one of us. Only Leroy's mother was a vampire, but our heritage is dominant, so he is a full vampire too."

"Yet he doesn't drink blood...why doesn't he do it? Doesn't he like it?" Abby asked, curious.

Bill was silent for a long while, before he said, "This is a private thing. You should ask Leroy why he doesn't drink."

Abby nodded and she too fell silent for a few moments. They were almost in Alexandria and soon they would reach their destination. She had another question burning into her mind, but she wasn't sure she should ask it to Bill, or if it wasn't another question it was more appropriate to ask to Gibbs. In the end, knowing how hard the topic was for her boss, she decided to ask Bill.

"What about Kelly, Gibbs' daughter? From what you said, she was a vampire too..." she let her voice trail off, hoping he would understand.

Bill sighed deeply. "As you have seen tonight, vampires aren't invincible. We die if we bleed out before we can heal the damage done to our body. It's a rare occurrence, but it happens."

"It happened to Kelly..."

"Yes, and to Leroy's mother too, when he was just a child. He has never had an easy life," Bill murmured, almost to himself.

Abby nodded, and forced herself to talk past the lump in her throat. "I care for him. Hell no, I love him and if he just allows me to take care of him, I'll do my best to bring him some long deserved happiness."

Bill reached out with his hand and gently patted her hand as it rested on her knee. "I'm sure you will. Leroy is lucky to have you."

"No, I'm lucky to have him. Even if he didn't love me as I do him, I would still be lucky to have him as my friend."

"I know, Abby. It's the same for me."

Silence fell in the car and wasn't broken until Abby pulled up into Gibbs' driveway.

"Here we are," she murmured, as she unfastened her seatbelt.

She opened the door of the house – for once grateful Gibbs never locked it—and moved to the side to let Bill and his precious load inside.

They went upstairs and Bill put Gibbs down on his bed. Then with rapidity and efficiency he stripped his unconscious friend of his blood-soaked clothes and boots, leaving him clad only in his boxers and t-shirt. That done, Bill covered Gibbs with a blanket and checked his pulse and eyes.

"How is he?" Abby asked, after she had witnessed the stripping down and tucking-in in silence.

"He's fine. I think he'll wake up in a couple of hours. See, the wound is completely healed and by tomorrow morning the scar will be gone too." Bill knelt and picked the soiled clothes he had dumped on the floor and walked away.

"Are you leaving?" Abby wondered.

Bill stopped on the door. "No, I'm just taking these to the laundry chest; then I'll go down to see if there is something to eat."

"Oh." It seemed so strange a vampire could behave in such a normal way...

"Do you wish to join me?"

"No, thank you. I've a snack in my purse and I prefer to stay here with Gibbs. We'll need to talk when he wakes up, and I wish to get some order in my mind."

Bill nodded. "I understand. Well then, I'll leave you to your thoughts; just remember I'm downstairs if you have any more questions."

Abby waited until Bill stepped down the stairs and closed the door. She walked to the bed and looked down at Gibbs. He seemed younger when asleep and she didn't resist the impulse to run her hand in his hair, ruffling it even more it already was. Then she posed her lips over his for a moment and murmured, "Wake up soon, Jethro. There are so many things we need to say and hear."

Abby straightened. She circled the bed and sat down on the other side. After removing her boots she reclined, rolling on her side and scooted along the mattress until she was almost pressed against Gibbs.

Once there, with his warmth reaching her despite the covers separating them, she closed her eyes and took a long, deep, happy sigh, basking in the knowledge Gibbs was safe and well.

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Liked it? Let me know what you think! And remember that reviews make me update faster!


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to AbbyIsGibbs'sLove and dolphinsiren77 for their reviews!**

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Abby became slowly aware someone was shaking her shoulder.

"What?" she groaned, with her eyes half closed. Then she asked, "Is Gibbs okay?"

"Yes," Bill answered, still leaning over her. "He's waking up, so I thought you might like to be up when he opens his eyes."

"Did I fall asleep?" Abby asked. She hadn't meant to.

Bill smiled, "I think that once the adrenaline rush ceased, the stress and the fear of the past hours caught up with you."

Abby sat up on the bed and folded her legs as she and Bill watched Gibbs' face. She saw his eyeballs move under his closed eyelids, and then his eyelashes fluttered and a glimpse of blue appeared.

Gibbs took a few moments to fully open his eyes, and when he did, he looked confused at Abby and Bill.

"What happened?" he croaked.

"You were wounded while fighting one of the killers at the cemetery, Leroy," Bill explained. "Matt and Ted gave you blood and then Abby and I brought you home."

Gibbs nodded slowly, and then grimaced with disgust. "What a lousy Marine I am; I should have been able to beat that bastard..."

"But you did beat him, Gibbs! You killed him, and you did it alone, while Bill, Matt, and Ted had to work hard to get the upper hand on his twin!" Abby exclaimed.

"She's right, and I'm ready to bet that had you drunk as I told you to, you'd have beaten him without ever receiving a scratch, nor would you have risked bleeding out," Bill stared hard down at Gibbs. "Don't ever lie again to me, Leroy. We almost lost you tonight."

Gibbs didn't lower his eyes as a chastised child, but nodded slowly. "I won't do it again."

"Good." Bill straightened and added, looking at his friend. "Alright, since you're OK, I'll call a cab and go home. You're probably feeling weak, perhaps even lightheaded at the moment. I suggest you stay in bed until your healing is complete."

"I'll make sure he does it," Abby interjected. "I'll stay with him."

Bill nodded. "Perfect."

"Hey, don't I have a saying in this? I can take care of myself!" Gibbs protested.

Both Bill and Abby turned to face him, saying in unison, "No!" Then she added softly, "We need to talk."

Gibbs stared at her intently and nodded, "Yes, we do."

Abby waited until Bill left them alone, and turned to face Gibbs fully, just in time to adjust the pillow behind his back as he sat up against the headboard. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and then Abby spoke.

"I know what you think of apologies, but I've got to say it all the same: I'm sorry, Gibbs. I'm sorry for overhearing your conversation at the _Moonlight Shadow_. I'm sorry for bugging your phone. I'm sorry for following you at the cemetery and almost getting you killed. But I'm not sorry for discovering what you are, and I'm delighted to know you love me as much as I love you."

"Abbs..." Gibbs whispered, spreading his arms.

She lost no time straddling his legs and snuggling against his chest as he enfolded her in his embrace and kissed the top of her head. They stayed so for a while, simply content to bask in their closeness. Then Gibbs asked, "Is there something you wish to know about my kin?"

Abby smiled against his t-shirt covered chest. Gibbs offering to answer questions? That was a first! She sobered and replied, "There are many things I wish to know about vampires, but at the moment I've just one question. Bill has told me why vampires drink blood. He said it keeps you young, healthy and in top shape. So why don't you do it? Do you have a dead wish?" She raised her head to look at Gibbs' eyes.

"I had it after Shannon and Kelly's death, but not anymore."

"Then why don't you drink? Why do you suffer through the pain to your knee or to your shoulder where Ari shot you every time the weather is damp or cold, when you could avoid it? Are you a masochist?"

"No, I am not." Gibbs swallowed hard, before continuing. "Contrary to other vampires, who have no problem with drinking from any available donor, I'm not able to do it. For me, it has always been a very…intimate act. An experience I don't want to share with strangers I first must put in trance and then make forget what happened. Shannon… she never wanted me to put her in trance. From the first moment I told her what I was, she let me drink from her, baring her throat with a trust that has always taken my breath away…" His eyes had a soft, faraway look in them. But then they clouded as he resumed his tale, "But when I revealed myself to my other wives...they didn't take it well. I saw fear, disgust, and terror on their faces. Two of them even attacked me before I could make them forget what I told them...I never revealed myself again after that."

Abby listened in silence, utterly moved by his confession. Bill had been right, this was a very private matter indeed, and she was happy Gibbs had opened with her.

As she stared into his clear blue eyes, she lost herself in her thought. What would be like to have Gibbs drink from her? Would she enjoy it? She was ready to bet she would. She wasn't afraid of a little pain and the idea of being the one giving Gibbs his nourishment was mind-blowing...

"Drink from me…" she murmured.

Gibbs' eyes widened. "Abby…" he said in an almost strangled voice, "you don't know what you're saying..."

"I know what I'm saying, what I'm offering. Gibbs...Jethro, I love you. I don't care what you are...Or better, I care a lot about what you are, but..." Abby stopped, frustrated by her inability to put in words what she felt. She tried again, "I know I should be freaked out by learning vampires exist and that you're one of them, but I'm not. I've always thought there is much more in this world than mankind knows and it's nice to be proved right. As for you, for us, when I saw you there, at the cemetery, and I thought you were dead, my heart broke and I knew that a part of me would die with you. I repeat it again: I love you. I'm nothing like your wives. I'm walking into this with my eyes fully open and I'll never reject or be afraid of you. I know you too well to even think to be afraid of you."

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Another cliffie! Will Gibbs accept Abby's offer? Will this story turn to be M rated or will keep its current rating? Let me know what you think! And remember that reviews make me update faster!


	11. Chapter 11

I'm very late today and quite in a hurry, so I'll thank all of you, faithful, kind reviewers here. I really appreciate your words and I'm very happy you're enjoying the story...and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too...Oh, BTW, the rating is no **M**...;P

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Gibbs stared at her intently as she spoke, as if he was trying to read into her soul. When she fell silent, he smiled—and Abby's heart skipped a beat, because it was the broadest, fullest, happiest smile she had ever seen on his face.

She smiled back as broadly as him, feeling as she was about to burst with happiness.

Gibbs' smile slowly disappeared as his eyes darkened. A shiver of expectation ran along her spine as Bill's words flashed into her mind.

"_...we're predators..."_

Yes, Gibbs was now looking at her as a predator looks at his prey—and it made her insides clench with desire.

He moved in and Abby met him midway, with no hesitation. The kiss started slow, gentle, but it turned passionate in no time. Gibbs expertly opened her lips and slipped his tongue into her mouth. His arms tightened around her back, pulling her closer and Abby responded melting into his embrace, surrendering to him, making him understand she was his willing prey.

Still holding her, Gibbs rolled on the side, and Abby went with him, understanding what he wanted to do. Their positions inverted, she found herself lying on her back, with him atop of her, tangled in the blanket that had been covering him.

Growling in annoyance, he rose to his knees to get rid of the covers and then dropped back to lie over her, and resumed his previous assault to her senses.

His lips were hot and hard, molding with Abby's, taking, commanding, never pleading, his tongue demanding entrance, then thrusting deeply into her mouth, ravaging and possessing. When he finally broke the kiss they were panting heavily. Her heart hammered wildly and before she could get her wind back, Gibbs' surprisingly nimble fingers opened her shirt, exposing the black laced bra she was wearing. He smiled a lopsided grin as he eyed Abby's heaving breasts, her nipples stiff with arousal.

"Take it off," he growled and Abby lost no time in obeying him, throwing the bra across the room, before lying down again. She wasn't usually so passive during sex, but this was far more than sex, this was her giving herself to Gibbs in more than a sexual way, and she wanted to press the point home. She wanted to make sure he understood beyond any possible doubt she was his.

Gibbs' eyes darkened as he skimmed over her torso, pausing over the tattoos he had never seen before. He then shifted above her to accommodate his big frame better, resting his arousal in the cradle formed by the juncture of her thighs. He was hard as an iron pole and hot as burning coal and Abby moaned as her desire flew, making her damp and as hot as he was. Acting on pure reflex, she arched against him.

Gibbs brought his warm, calloused right hand to her breasts and touched them, first gently, and delicately, then he fondled them heavily, possessively, making her moan aloud and throw her head back.

Abby's eyes widened with shock when she felt Gibbs take one of her nipples between his lips. It wasn't the warmth of his mouth or the dampness of his tongue that shocked her, but the sensation of something long and sharp pressing gently against her skin.

She looked down at her breast and saw Gibbs was staring up at her. He raised his head and gave her a clear view of his exposed fangs.

The long, sharp, pointed teeth gave him a completely different expression, making him look feral, dangerous and even more intense than he usually was. The fangs also made him look as sexy as hell, and Abby felt her insides clench with the need to have him possess her.

Abby moaned and reached out with her arms, threading her fingers in his soft hair as she pressed his face back against her breasts.

Gibbs obliged her, returning his attention to her nipples as his right hand strayed down her body, raising her skirt till his fingers found their way beneath it and her panties. They remained there for a moment, exploring, testing, teasing, and petting with a gentleness that was unthinkable in such a strong man.

Then there was a pause and he plunged his fingers deeply inside her. Abby screamed and arched against him, inadvertently offering him better access to her breast and allowing his fingers deeper penetration. Working in a perfect, maddening rhythm, his mouth engulfing her nipple and his fingers moving deeply inside her, he soon had her panting, groaning, on the brink of coming. Then Gibbs' mouth left her nipple and she sobbed as the wet, stiffened peak started to painfully throb. On and on his fingers worked her thoroughly and she helplessly rocked against his merciless hand. Abby saw him intently looking at her, drinking every gesture, every pant and every lustful moan, as his eyes became almost black, so much of his pupils were dilated with lust.

Gibbs brusquely dragged his fingers off her body and Abby thought she would die out of need and frustration. He quickly removed her remaining clothes, and then he rose again on his knees and got rid of his t-shirt and boxers, freeing himself from the confinement that must have been utterly uncomfortable for he was so large and rigid that his cock curved against his belly, nearly touching his navel. At the sight of him naked, hungry and hard, she couldn't resist it and raised her hand to touch him, to caress and then stroke the length of him. He felt firm as sculpted marble yet hot as only excited flesh can feel. Fascinated, she wanted to go on moving her hand on him but Gibbs slapped it away as he lowered himself towards her, seemingly unable to endure both her touch and the waiting to plunge into her eager, willing body. Abby welcomed him, spreading herself wide, raising her hips to accommodate him better and Gibbs didn't keep her waiting.

With a powerful thrust of his hips, he sheathed himself to the hilt inside her. Abby dug her nails in his upper arms to prevent herself from coming at once. She vaguely noticed that Gibbs had gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, using every ounce of his considerable will to stop himself from losing his control. For what seemed an eternity they remained there, as if poised at the edge of an abyss that threatened to devour them. Then, slowly, tentatively, they relaxed in each other's arms.

Gibbs started moving carefully, with long, slow strokes that had him retreating from her body then plunging deeply into it. Moaning, Abby raised her legs and locked them around his waist, taking him even more completely, silently urging him to go deeper and deeper inside even if she knew it wasn't possible, for he had already bottomed out.

Gibbs increased the rhythm of his thrusts and soon he was panting as heavily as she was, lost as she was in pleasure.

Abby would have wanted for the pleasure to never stop, to go on forever, but her body had other ideas. Her belly coiled and her toes tingled and curled as she felt her orgasm approach.

"Jethro!" she cried, instinctively knowing he wouldn't like to be called Gibbs in bed, and then she sobbed as release crashed on her and her body tightened around his while the world exploded in front of her eyes in a myriad of lights.

It was then she felt a sharp but brief pain on the left side of her neck. She had barely the time to register it and it was gone, replaced by a sensation that could only be described as wonder.

Gibbs was drinking from her. There, in that moment, as his hips were still thrusting inside her.

Abby threw back her neck, trying to give him more access as her arousal spiked again.

"Jethro..." she whispered and he raised his head, his lips red with her blood.

"Abby..." he panted back, briefly slowing down the rhythm of his thrusts as they looked deeply into each other's eyes, communicating without words. He then took one of her hands in his, entwining their fingers together, and began to move again.

Their bodies were slick with perspiration and, weakened by the force of her release, Abby had no strength to hold on to him but barely enough to caress Gibbs' flank with her free hand, urging him to make her his even more she already was, with the mark of his bite on her neck.

"Mine! Mine!" panted Gibbs, as if he had read her thoughts.

"Yes, yours! Yours!" she breathed and then she ceased to exist, for her body convulsed with renewed strength and Gibbs cried hoarsely as he reached his limit and his control snapped. He came in an unstoppable rush, like a river breaking a dam and the scalding hot spurts of his release bathed her insides.

"Mine..." panted Gibbs once more and he collapsed exhausted over her heaving breasts.

They remained there for a long moment, gasping for air, covered with sweat, exhausted and exhilarated. Then, Abby reached out with a trembling hand to caress his sweaty hair and he raised his head to look at her.

"Wow," she whispered when their eyes locked, a lazy, satisfied smile spreading on her face. "This was really something …"

Gibbs smiled back, quite a spectacle since his fangs were still exposed, and lowered his head to lick the wound on her neck.

"Uhm...that's nice," Abby murmured, still caressing his hair, "but I don't think I'll be up to more very soon..."

She heard Gibbs chuckle against her skin. "Me neither; I'm a vampire, not Superman. This is to make the bleeding stop and the skin heal."

"Oh." Abby was a bit disappointed she won't be able to wear the mark he had given her, the mark that symbolized their reciprocal trust, but she understood the need to heal the wound quickly.

When Gibbs was done, he slowly pulled back from her body and collapsed on the mattress at her side. Abby rose on an elbow and looked down at him, her index finger caressing his still exposed fangs.

"I like you like this," she murmured, her gaze intent. "It's what you really are and I feel privileged you allow me to see it."

"No more privileged than I feel because you allow me to be fully myself with you." A moment of pause, then Gibbs added. "I hope you know how much I love you, Abby. This isn't a one-time thing."

She nodded, and smiled. "I know, Jethro. I wouldn't be here, in this bed, if I didn't know it. And I trust you know how much I love you too."

"Yep—I know."

"Good." Abby felt her eyelids grow heavier and more difficult to keep open. She lowered back on the mattress, her face turned toward Gibbs.

"Do you mind if I crash on you?" she murmured. "I want to talk more, but I'm too exhausted ...You wore me out."

Gibbs smiled gently, "We'll have plenty of time to talk during the weekend. Now sleep."

Abby smiled back for a moment, and then she turned her back to him and curled on her side. Gibbs moved in instinctive response, briefly sitting up and pulling up the blankets to cover both of them, before spooning behind her, cradling her against his body, his chest against her back, hips and legs curved behind hers. He put one of his strong arms around her and the last thing Abby thought before falling asleep was she had never felt as safe and as loved as in that moment.

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SO, did you like it? Was it hot enough? Let me know what you think! And remember that reviews make me update faster!


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks to: dolphinsiren77 (yeah, Gibbs is not superman...One of the reasons I wrote my vampires the way I did, was due to the fact I was tired of vampire fic focused only on sex or where vampires had supernatural sex drives...I wanted to focus on something else), AbbyIsGibbs'sLove (there won't be any pregnancy in this story, but, who knows, I can rule out a sequel dealing with it), Sheena, mips (I'm really happy you gave a chance to this story even if you hate vampire stories! And I'm even happier you like it! I've another Gabby story with no vampires in it. It's titled "Gabby And The Gibbs" and it's another realistic-fantasy story) for their reviews.

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**Epilogue - Six Months Later**

It was Friday night and the _Moonlight Shadow_ was crowded. Most of the patrons were dressed as vampires, which wasn't surprising because there was a contest for the most realistic impersonation of famous screen vampires.

Abby thought she had never seen so many personifications of Dracula – both the Christopher Lee and Gary Oldman's versions – in the same place, mingling with the pale-faced Edward of Twilight look-alikes. But the funniest thing for her was knowing that under all that make up and elaborated costumes were hidden real vampires too.

Abby now knew the _Moonlight Shadow_ belonged to a vampire and that it had been created specifically to offer an environment were real vampires could show themselves as they truly were without fear of being discovered. Gibbs had explained to her sometimes vampires, especially the youngest ones or those without a mate that accepted them as they were, felt the burden of an existence spent in continued secrecy. The club offered them the chance to be themselves and loosen up when the burden got too heavy to carry.

As Abby took a pause from her dancing, she saw several couples practice for the 'Most Realistic Vampire's Bite' contest.

Watching them made her thoughts turn to Jethro and she wondered what he would think of that contest. Maybe she would ask him when she saw him later—if he returned from his meeting with Vance and the SecNav at a decent hour.

A very familiar feeling of happiness and completion surged in her as she thought of her Silver Haired Fox.

The past six months had been the most beautiful of her life, the only downside being she couldn't share the reason of her happiness with her closest friends at NCIS. Gibbs and she had decided to keep their relationship secret in order to avoid problems on the job, and so things would stay until he retired as field agent. That also meant she couldn't move in with him, but they found a way to be together almost every night.

Most of the times it was Abby going to his house, where they would spend hours working together on his new boat or cuddling on his couch, watching movies or just talking. Sometime Gibbs went to her apartment, where most often than not he ended up fixing something her landlord had not. Other times they went out, to bowl with the sisters. They all loved Gibbs and wanted him on their team. Or they came here, to the _Moonlight Shadow_.

Gibbs never danced, of course, but he liked to stay near the dance floor sipping bourbon and watching as Abby enjoyed herself. Feeling his eyes on her, knowing that his keen vampire senses missed nothing of the way she moved, always made Abby feel special and loved. Loved as she had always dreamed to be loved, but had started to despair she ever would be given her awful track record with boyfriends. Sometimes she felt the desire to pinch herself to be sure she wasn't dreaming. It seemed so incredible that a man like Jethro could have chosen her, plain Abigail Scuito, as his mate...but she wasn't going to question it. She knew he loved her as much as she loved him, and that was the only important thing.

Abby was recalled to the present when a loud murmur rose among the patrons. She noticed the crowd was parting like the Red Sea in front of Moses to let a single male figure pass. Her eyes widened when she recognized Gibbs.

There was something different in him that evening. His clothes were the same he had donned at work, but now he looked sexy as hell. Perhaps it was in the way he was moving, like a lazy, yet dangerous predator on the prowl. Perhaps was the way the torch-like lights made his hair and eyes shine. Perhaps was the way he was smirking at her, showing his long, pointed fangs. Or perhaps it was the power that was almost pouring out of him, a power everyone responded to, humans and vampires alike.

Since Gibbs had begun to drink her blood regularly, it was like everything in him had been amplified. His eyes seemed bluer, his hair shinier and softer, his magnetism and authority stronger. So far there hadn't been any evident sign he was starting to get younger. It would take time before he started to rejuvenate, given how long he had been without drinking. In any case he didn't plan to start the process any time soon, because it would be too difficult to explain the changes to other people. However, he was again at his peak form, his short-sightedness and sore knee and shoulder already part of his past.

Abby felt intoxicated to be the focus of Gibbs' attention as he strode toward her and couldn't help but grinning broadly when he stopped in front of her.

"Am I in time?" he asked.

"For what?"

"For the 'Most Realistic Vampire's Bite' contest."

"Yes...Hey, don't tell me you want to take part to it?!" Abby couldn't believe it. Jethro hated to be on the spotlight.

He smirked and flashed his fangs. "Yep, I do...but not here."

"Where then?" She replied, intrigued.

"Back home...in my bed..." his voice dropped to a throaty, lust-filled whisper. "When you'll be naked and I'll kiss and bite every inch of your skin..."

Abby almost moaned aloud as she murmured, "Promise you won't miss any spot..."

"Promise..."

"Then let's go home and start our contest..."

Jethro again flashed his fanged smile and put an arm around her waist, in that possessive, protective way she liked so much. He led Abby outside the Moonlight Shadow and into a night that promised to be very long and full of pleasure and love.

THE END

Well, it's done! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Let me know OK?

And to those of you who like vampire! Gibbs no matter who is paired with: stay tuned, because I have two brand new stories set in the Gibbs/Tony "Reconnection" AU coming soon!


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